By MacBulldogs.com
McPHERSON, Kan. — The McPherson College Bulldogs baseball team is headed to Shreveport, La., and will take on Morningside University in the NAIA National Tournament. The Bulldogs secured the No.2-seed in their opening round bracket following the team’s first KCAC Tournament title in program history last weekend.
This marks the third consecutive season that the Bulldogs make a trip to a national championship tournament appearance. The Bulldogs made their first appearance in 2021 and have won at least one game in each of the first two showings.
The Bulldogs drew one of the six five-team opening round sites, that include LSU Shreveport, Morningside, MidAmerica Nazarene, and Dillard.
[1] LSU Shreveport
The LSU Shreveport Pilots are the top seed entering the opening rounds, holding a 44-8 record and a 27-3 mark in the Red River Athletic Conference. The Pilots are the No. 2-ranked team in the NAIA and were the RRAC’s top team heading into the conference tournament.
The Pilots nearly swept the RRAC postseason awards, with Ryan Major winning the conference Player of the Year award and Bobby Vath grabbing Pitcher of the Year honors. Brad Neffendorf was voted Coach of the Year. The Pilots finished the season ranked fourth in the NAIA in batting average (.358) and paced the RRAC in strikeouts (504) and ERA (2.88). Major paces the team with a batting average of .487, which ranks fourth in the NAIA, and is also second in the nation with 44 stolen bases.
McPherson and LSU Shreveport met earlier this season at the Cajun Collision in Sterlington, La., with Pilots besting the Bulldogs 9-2.
[3] Morningside University
The Bulldogs get the first look at the No. 3-seeded Morningside University Mustangs, who fell to Concordia (Neb.) in the semifinals of the Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament 16-3. The Mustangs finished the season with a 36-16 record and a 20-8 mark in GPAC play.
The Mustangs are led in a number of offensive categories by Jayson Willers, who leads the way with a .389 batting average, 58 RBIs, 12 home runs, and 18 doubles. Wade Canaday paces the Mustangs on the mound with a 7-3 record, 68 strikeouts, and a 4.29 ERA.
The Bulldogs and the Mustangs have met four times, playing a four-game set in McPherson in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The Bulldogs swept the series.
[4] MidAmerica Nazarene University
The MidAmerica Nazarene University Pioneers come into the NAIA Opening Round riding a wave of success, advancing to the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) championship game to lock in a berth in the national tournament. The Pioneers won four-straight games in the tournament, before falling to Grand View 11-5. Prior to that run, the Pioneers dropped seven straight contests.
The streaky Pioneers enter the week with a 30-25 record and a 19-13 mark in HAAC play. The team sports a balanced offensive attack, with seven batters posing a batting average of .287 or better. Noah Castillo paces the Pioneers with 11 homers this season and a batting average of .363. Javier Melendez is first on the team with 41 RBIs.
The Bulldogs are 2-2 all-time against the Pioneers, but the teams have not met since the 2015 season.
[5] Dillard University
In just their first year playing baseball, the Dillard University Bleu Devils took home the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) tournament title to advance to the national tournament. The Bleu Devils finished the season with a 22-28 record and a 13-5 mark in GCAC play.
The Bleu Devils’ roster is dominated by freshmen and sophomores, and the team is led by Ty’Mitchell McCollough in doubles (11). McCollough is also second on the team, batting .306. Tyler Fitch is tops on the squad with five home runs and 34 RBIs.
A meeting between the Bleu Devils and the Bulldogs would be the first-ever matchup.
The Bulldogs open their postseason run on Monday (May 15) at 2:30 p.m. With a win, the Bulldogs will advance to the winner’s bracket to square off the winner between LSU Shreveport and MidAmerica Nazarene or Dillard.
